We cannot ensure success, but we can deserve it. | |
— Joseph Addison | |
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On This Day In: | |
2019 | Or Thought I’d Thought |
2018 | Go And Dare |
2017 | And Wealth A Poor Substitute For Ability |
2016 | Neither Darkness Nor Shadows |
2015 | It Took Roots |
2014 | Hard Evidence |
2013 | Full Participation |
2012 | Roving (Again) |
Ooops, Again | |
2011 | Why Not? |
Posts Tagged ‘Economy’
Testing To Open The Economy Safely
Posted in Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged COVID-19, Economy, Joseph Addison, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Success, Testing on May 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Expecting A December Correction
Posted in Economics, Politics, Quotes, tagged #IncompetentDonald, 800 Point Market Drop, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Economy, Politics, Quotes, Warren Buffett on December 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »
We believe that according the name ‘investors’ to institutions that trade actively is like calling someone who repeatedly engages in one-night stands a ‘romantic.’ | |
— Warren Buffett | |
[With the Dow at very near an all-time high, a “normal” market “correction” (a 10% drop) will still leave the market above 25,000 which would still be a historic end of year high. The only questions are when will the correction eventually happen and how far past “normal” it will go? Okay, three: how long will it last? Remember, this is the first Presidency to have an 800 point drop in a single day… Of the top five daily losses in Dow history (roughly 120 years), ALL five have happened during the current Administration. So far, we’ve recovered from each quickly… — KMAB] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2018 | Dominoes II (Update From Last Year’s Post) |
2017 | Dominoes |
2016 | Itchin’ |
2015 | In The Not So Distant Future |
2014 | Sources |
2013 | Three Essentials |
2012 | Just Looking |
2011 | Religious Lessons |
2010 | View From Under The Bus… (A mid-term report card on the Obama Administration. Long, but still worth reading for historical perspective.) |
Where The Economy Is Headed Thanks To #IncompetentDonald
Posted in Economics, Humor, Politics, Quotes, tagged #IncompetentDonald, Economy, Humor, Nickels And Dimes, Politics, Quotes, Yogi Berra on November 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »
A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore. | |
— Yogi Berra | |
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On This Day In: | |
2017 | Time For More Research, Too |
2016 | Original Thoughts |
2015 | If They’re Good Enough |
2014 | Three… |
2013 | Uncle Joe’s Song |
Live, Then, As If… | |
2012 | Still Trying |
2011 | Not Deserving |
An Approaching Disgrace
Posted in Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged "Sir Charles", Earlier Posts, Economy, Excerpts, Living Wage, Localism, Nationalism, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, Tribalism on May 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »
I believe racism in America is about fear and economic opportunity. The fear is the fear of “others”. Those not like us. Those not from around here. Them. I believe there is a natural tendency in humans to bond with those we are near and associate with. Call it localism, nationalism, tribalism or some other kind of “groupism” and it still results in the same thing – “us” against “them”. This tendency is played upon and magnified by those who seek to “control” the majority of Americans – the majority who just want to get on with their lives, get ahead a little financially and raise a family. The tactic is to divide and conquer and, as I mentioned previously, race is one easy way of dividing people who might otherwise find common cause. | |
There is a perception in modern society that we can’t ALL have great jobs – whatever “great jobs” means. That may be correct. But, we should all be able to work hard for a living wage. Note, I said “living wage”, not “minimum wage”. “Work hard” means more than just showing up, although that is a very important part of working hard. It also means giving your best effort during the time you are working. It normally means using your brains as well as your muscles. | |
I question this perception / belief / assumption. I believe we can all earn a living wage. We are not all going to be “rich”, but I believe our nation is unique in its ability to fund equal opportunity. I’m not sure we always had this ability, but I certainly believe we do now. I believe we are moving into a post-industrial (post-standardized, post-mass produced) world where the benefits of industrial scaling are beginning to decrease and the benefits of limited, customized, specialized manufacturing are starting to dominate. On top of that, we are now better able to use technology to make very specific (small scale) manufacturing cost effective for the majority of products. And finally, a significant portion of the economy is now purely digital, meaning: it isn’t consumed by use. | |
There is a saying that a smile is something you can give away freely and never have less of. This is what we are approaching with an economy based on digital use without consumption. The trick will be the distribution of wealth and opportunity for economic advancement. It will be a disgrace to see race rather than ability as the determinant factor in distribution. | |
[The above is an excerpt from a book review I posted back in 2011. The specific post is located here: https://kmabarrett.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/sir-charles/ | |
The original posting was from “way back when” and I had almost no followers. I just re-read the original and the above seemed (to me) to bear repeating… | |
— KMAB] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2017 | Liberty, Collusion, History And The Republican Majority |
2016 | But I Have Too Many Questions |
2015 | A New Friend |
2014 | Do I Have To Fall In Love? |
2013 | More Democracy, Please |
2012 | Speaking Of Love |
2011 | Limits |
Staying Alive
Posted in Politics, Quotes, Reading, tagged Alice Schroeder, Economy, Politics, Quotes, The Snowball, Warren Buffett on March 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »
There were only three ways the stock market could keep rising at ten percent or more a year. One was if interest rates fell and remained below historic levels. The second was if the share of the economy that went to investors, as opposed to employees and government and other things, rose above its already historically high level. Or, he said, the economy could start growing faster than normal. He called it “wishful thinking” to use optimistic assumptions like these. | |
— Alice Schroeder | |
From her book: “The Snowball: Warren Buffet And The Business Of Life“ | |
[The above is part of a speech Warren Buffet gave at a conference in 1999, where he describes the economy in the middle of the dot-com boom. It was, in fact, though not intended as such, a prediction of the dot-bomb bust. Interestingly, the first two suggestions are exactly the course being used by the government today to try to get us out of the current housing depression – job recession. We have kept the interest rates at an historically low level for almost two years and we have extended the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans. It still seems to me, that it is “wishful thinking” this will get us out of our current financial quandary. And I note that Warren Buffet was against extending the tax cuts. — KMAB] | |
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